A vote of no-confidence in Frome MP David Warburton, who is under investigation for allegations which include sexual harassment and obtaining a loan by falsifying a document, has been unanimously passed by Frome Town Council.

The motion : That Frome Town Council considers that the lack of proper MP representation has existed for far too long, it has no confidence in our MP David Warburton and accordingly it requests that he resigns to allow a By Election to take place.

The vote was greeted by a spontaneous round of applause in a packed council chamber, following councillors joining up to condemn the town's MP as not available, unresponsive, and missing in action while the constituency suffered in a cost of living crisis.

The MP had sent his apologies (greeted with laughter) about not being able to attend the meeting in person, but submitted a statement to the meeting, which was read out by the clerk. Councillors were also told that David Warburton was yesterday (February 21) been given proxy vote so he can now 'represent' his constituents in the commons, although it is still the case that he cannot attend.

That non attendance in parliament and the no show over months in Frome, prompted one in the council chamber to ask how was it then that the MP had put in expenses of £250,000.

The vote of no confidence result was tabled by Cllr Fiona Barrows who insisted this was not a political matter, but a representation issue : " All 17 of our councillors are independent, this is not a party political issue, it is about his (David Warburton's ) failure in his duty as an MP It is about him not being present in his constituency and not representing those 103,000 people as their MP, 27, 000 of them in Frome."

Cllr Lisa Millard questioned the MP's statement about how he would always follow his own mind, described later as 'unusual' saying " I thought it was his job to represent his constituency ?"

Cllr Barrows summed up the frustration in the council chamber saying it was simple: " He is not being present in his community, it is his job to be an MP a job, and that is a job for which he is still being paid for."

In his statement David Warburton, insisted that he has been still working for local people in spite of his suspension in April last year.

The MP wrote : " I have been working for local people at this time, dealing with over a thousand pieces of case work. Since September I have submitted 56 submitted written questions. "

From outside of Frome, Councillor Sean Dromgoole who is Chair of Langport Town, who will now also be pushed to hold a vote of no confidence in David Warburton, told the meeting: " The real power of an MP is to stand up in the commons and to point at a minister and say this is not good for my constituents. In spite of the fact he has now has a blue button of power ( a proxy vote ), that is how we want to be represented, in parliament and in person."

Cllr Sarah Dyke, who is the Liberal Democrat candidate for the seat of Frome and Somerton told the meeting: " Lets' be clear here, he is fighting for his political life, this is not just across Frome. Nobody has seen him. We know he is missing in action. This constituency deserves better than that. ... and frankly someone who wants to do the job. I fully endorse this motion and I am pleased to see it is going elsewhere. Well done Frome for leading the way."

Cllr Tracey Ashford said she would like to know what email was used to get the statement from David Warburton, because : " One of my residents has sent four emails to him and has never had any response. "

The Frome Town Council's motion of no confidence will now be shared to all other councils which make up the other parts of the MP's constituency.

This is the latest statement from David Warburton on his web site :

"I know that many of my constituents will be aware of remarks concerning the level of output in my office, and so I have released a statement to address any concerns you may have. " Statement HERE

"Matters affecting my constituents and their priorities will always be of the greatest importance to me, and I urge you to contact me without hesitation if I can be of any assistance to you.

"I am enormously keen to thank my constituents for their ongoing patience and support throughout this exceptionally challenging time. I am also eager to reassure the local people of Somerton and Frome – who put their trust in me in 2015, 2017 and 2019 – that I, and my offices are continuing to work hard."

The agenda::

The Town Council very rarely comments on national matters, or even issues outside of Frome but we have grown increasingly concerned about the lack of representation from our MP, David Warburton. We have therefore decided to make this exception. The role of an MP is to represent the interests and concerns of their constituents in the House of Commons. Somerton and Frome's current MP, David Warburton, has not voted in parliament for over 10 months and has not spoken in parliament for over 12 months. In April last year allegations of drug-taking and sexual misconduct were made against him, and an investigation into these is ongoing. In addition, he is now facing further allegations of financial misconduct. The people of Frome deserve and need, especially during the current cost-of-living crisis, effective, committed and transparent representation in parliament in line with the Nolan Principles.